USA’s top 5 Crops….

million acres billion$• 1. Corn 72.7 15.1• 2. Soybeans 72.7 12.5• 3. Hay 59.9 3.4• 4. Wheat 53.0 5.5• 5.Cotton 13.1 4.6• 6.Sorghum 7.7 0.82• 7.Rice 3.01 .2

Chapter 10

Agriculture

An Introduction to Human Geography The Cultural Landscape, 8e

James M. Rubenstein

PPT by Abe Goldman

Is your vocabulary done??

VocabularyTerms to DefineTerms to Define• AgribusinessAgribusiness• Chaff Chaff • CombineCombine• Double cropping Double cropping • HorticulturHorticultur• Green RevolutionGreen Revolution• Intensive Subsistence AgriIntensive Subsistence Agri• Milkshed Milkshed • Paddy Paddy • Pastoral Nomadism Pastoral Nomadism • Prime agri land Prime agri land • Reaper Reaper • Ridge Tillage Ridge Tillage • Sawah Sawah • Seed Agri Seed Agri • Shifting Cultivation Shifting Cultivation • Sustainable Agri Sustainable Agri • Swidden Swidden • Thresh Thresh • Transhumance Transhumance • Truck Farming Truck Farming • Vegetative planting Vegetative planting • Winnow Winnow

Terms• Agriculture• Cereal Grain• Commercial Agri• Crop• Crop rotation• Desertification• Grain• Hull• Pasture • Plantation• Ranching• Slash and Burn Agri• Spring Wheat • Subsistence agri • Wet rice• Winter wheat

Key Issue I: Agricultural Origins and Regions

• I. Origins of agriculture– A. Hunters and gatherers– B. Invention of agriculture (Neolithic

Revolution)

• II. Location of agricultural hearths– A. Vegetative planting– B. Seed agriculture

• III. Classifying agricultural regions– Subsistence vs. commercial agriculture

Today’s Hunters and Gatherers

• Arctic Nomadic groups – Sami (Lapps) in Scandinavia – Inuit in North America

Today’s Hunters and Gatherers

• Maku in NW Brazil and SE Colombia

Today’s Hunters and Gatherers

• Bushmen (San or !Kung) in Namibia and Botswana

Today’s Hunters and Gatherers

• Aborigines in Australia, mostly in central and NW

Beginnings of AgricultureThe Neolithic Revolution

• Early agricultural hearths came in two varieties– Those where vegetative crops were grown– Those where seed crops were grown

– Know the difference between vegetative and seed crops!

Vegetative Planting Hearths

Fig. 10-1: There were several main hearths, or centers of origin, for vegetative crops (roots and tubers, etc.), from which the crops diffused to other areas.

Vegetative Planting

Seed Agriculture Hearths

Fig. 10-2: Seed agriculture also originated in several hearths and diffused from those elsewhere.

Types of Crops or Animals produced

Classifying Agri RegionsLDCs MDCs

Purpose Subsistence Commercial

% of farmers in labor force

High – 55% or more

Low – 5% or less

Use of Machinery

No, mainly by hand

Yes, mainly by Machine

Farm Size Small: < 2 acres Large: > 400

Relationship of farming to business

Little High

Link to agriculture video clip

Labor Force in Agriculture

Fig. 10-3: A large proportion of workers in most LDCs are in agriculture, while only a small percentage of workers in MDCs are engaged in agriculture.

Tractors, per Population

Fig. 10-4: Tractors per 1,000 people. Use of machinery is extensive in most MDC agriculture, but it is much less common in LDCs.

World Agriculture Regions

Fig. 10-5a: Locations of the major types of subsistence and commercial agriculture.

Key Issue 2:Agriculture in LDC’s

• I. Shifting cultivation– Characteristics of shifting cultivation– Future of shifting cultivation

• II. Pastoral Nomadism– Characteristics of pastoral nomadism– Future of pastoral nomadism

• III. Intensive subsistence agriculture– Intensive subsistence with wet rice dominant– Intensive subsistence with wet rice not dominant

World Climate Regions

Fig. 10-5b: Simplified map of the main world climate regions (see also Fig. 2.2).

Shifting Cultivation

Pastoral Nomadism

World Rice Production

Fig. 10-6: Asian farmers grow over 90% of the world’s rice. India and China alone account for over half of world rice production.

Intensive Subsistence Wet Rice Dominant

Intensive Subsistence Wet Rice Not Dominant

Here, rice and tapioca are being grown in Malaysia.

A new Arawan “moloca” being built in the Amazonian rainforest.

•Molocas can reach 70 ft. high and 150 feet across •The entire community will live in the moloca

Shifting Cultivation

Nomads in the Sahel of Africa

Example of a yurt used by Mongolian nomads.

Pastoral Nomadism

Wet Rice cultivation in Myanmar (Burma)

Plots are divided to ensure even water levels and to separate family plots.

Terraced Wet Rice cultivation in Ganges River valley, India.

Irrigation is gravity fed

Intensive Subsistence

Intensive Subsistence

Key Issue 3: Agriculture in MDC’s

• A. Mixed crop and livestock systems• B. Dairy farming• C. Grain farming• D. Livestock ranching• E. Mediterranean agriculture• F. Commercial gardening and fruit

farming• G. Plantation farming

CG & FFCG & FF

MC & LSMC & LS

Gra

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Gra

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Ran

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Med

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World Milk Production

Fig 10-8: Milk production reflects wealth, culture, and environment. It is usually high in MDCs, especially production per capita, and varies considerably in LDCs.

Dairy Production in the U.S.

Fig. 10-9: Milk production is widely dispersed because of its perishability, but cheese production is far more concentrated.

World Corn (Maize) Production

Fig. 10-7: The U.S. and China are the leading producers of corn (maize) in the world. Much of the corn in both countries is used for animal feed.

World Wheat Production

Fig. 10-10: China is the world’s leading wheat producer, but the U.S. and Canada account for about half of world wheat exports.

The Chisholm Trail

Fig. 10-11: The Chisholm Trail became famous as the main route for cattle drives from Texas to the railheads in Kansas.

Describe how technology has Describe how technology has changed livestock ranching in changed livestock ranching in the US.the US.

Meat Production on Ranches

Fig. 10-12: Cattle, sheep, and goats are the main meat animals raised on ranches.

Hog Production and Food Cultures

Fig. 4-6: Why might explain the absence of Hog production in North Africa and the Fig. 4-6: Why might explain the absence of Hog production in North Africa and the Middle East? Middle East?

Video Time! You need one sheet of paper and a pen/cil

• Title: Food Inc.• On the paper… 2 sections: Facts and

Questions.• Video discusses modern, industrial

agricultural practices.• Listen for terms from ch 10 (and others)• To do: write down at least 5 facts from the

film that impressed you.• Write down 5 relevant questions as you

watch that you would like answered.

Key Issue 4: Economic Issues of Agriculture

• I. Economic issues of commercial farmers– A. Access to markets– B. Overproduction– C. Sustainable agriculture

• II. Economic issues of subsistence farmers– A. Population growth– B. International trade

• III. Increasing food supply– A. Green Revolution

Von Thünen Model & Access to Markets

Fig. 10-13: Von Thünen’s model shows how distance from a city or market affects the choice of agricultural activity in (a) a uniform landscape and (b) one with a river.

Overproduction• In MDCs, success breeds problems• More efficient methods = more production• Stage 3 & 4 of demographic transition

• Slowing population growth = fewer consumers

• Gov’ts in MDCs try to deal w/ overproduction– advises farmers not to produce products that are in surplus – pays farmers when prices are low– buys surplus production and sells or donates it to foreign

gov’ts – Also,

» food stamps» schools

– Gov’t spends $10 Billion on farm subsidies

Sustainable Agriculture

• What is it?

• What makes it different from conventional agriculture?– Efforts to protect soil– Higher integration of crop & livestock

• Irony, in MDCs gov’t encourage farmers to grow less food, while LDC farmers struggle to increase production to meet growth in population.

II. Issues for Subsistence FarmersBoserup’s ideas

• Rapid pop growth

• Medical Revolution made traditional methods of farming insufficient– To meet need intensification of production

• Notice: work still done by people, not machines

• Adopting Int. Trade Approach (ITA)

• How do they compete w/ farmers in MDCs?• Get loans for seeds, machinery, fertilizers• Hmmm… what are they having to import that they

haven’t had to in the past?

OIL

Still have hungry people

• Okay, there are fewer b/c of the Green Revolution

• What was the Green Revolution?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HucSCNQ01X4

• (link to 10 minute video)

Benefits of Green Revolution:

• Less world hunger, better nutrients provided to more people.

Criticisms of Green Revolution

• 1. increased amount of food production has led to overpopulation worldwide.

• 2. places like Africa have not significantly benefited from the Green Revolution. Why??

• The major problems surrounding the use of these technologies here though are a lack of infrastructure, governmental corruption, and insecurity in nations.

• Despite these criticisms though, the Green Revolution has forever changed the way agriculture is conducted worldwide, benefiting the people of many nations in need of increased food production.

Desertification Hazard

Fig. 10-14: The most severe desertification hazards are in northern Africa, central Australia, and the southwestern parts of Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.

Grain Importers and Exporters

Fig. 10-15: Most countries are net importers of grain. The U.S. is the largest net exporter.

The

Sahel

Fig. 10-16: The Sahel, which is south of the Sahara, frequently faces drought and food shortages, as does the Horn of Africa.

Wine Production per Year

Fig. 4-13: The distribution of wine production shows the joint impact of the physical environment and social customs.